Curt Schilling is considering coming back next year — for half the season.

The Boston Red Sox right-hander, who underwent season-ending shoulder surgery on June 23, said in an interview with Sporting News that he might try to pitch in 2009 under the right circumstances.

"I won't come back for a full season, that much I know. If I do decide to come back I would work to the point I was ready and somewhere around May 1 let the teams know I wanted to pitch the second half," he said.

"I'd obviously need to spend June in the minor leagues building it all back up and then hopefully come back and help a team in contention win a World Series. All of this is predicated with the fact that I am completely healthy and able to pitch like I did prior to breaking my shoulder early in 2007."

Still, Schilling said retirement is a strong possibility.

"If I had to make that decision today, yes, I'd retire," he said.

Dr. Craig Morgan, who performed the surgery, estimated a few hours after it ended that Schilling could be throwing a ball in four months and throwing from a mound within seven months, by late January.

Schilling, a six-time All-Star who turns 42 next month, is signed only for 2008 at $8 million. He didn't pitch this season and isn't happy with the way things went.

"So much happened that left a bad-to-bitter taste in my mouth that I just am not sure. So much was and has been said about me by people that have no idea what has transpired over the past 12 months, and that bothers me." he said. "What I do know is in the past 23 years I've never gone through a winter and not had specific dates where I began to get ready for camp. I am wondering if that will be a change or if like much of the rest of this, I'll hit those dates and feel no different."

Schilling is 216-146 with a 3.46 ERA and 3,116 strikeouts during his 20-year major league career. He is 11-2 in postseason play and was co-MVP of the 2001 World Series with Randy Johnson for Arizona.